World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health, United Nations and numerous scientific and medical publications recognize noise pollution and its deleterious effects.

Sound Measurement

A decibel (dB) is a measurement of sound. Decibels are measured logarithmically; perceived loudness doubles with every 10 (dB) increase.

Type of Sound

Decibel (dB)

Hearing Effect

Jet Takeoff

150

Permanent Hearing Loss

Boom Car

140

Train Horn

130

Car Alarm

120

Pain Threshold

Leaf Blower

100

Risk of Hearing Loss

Motorcycle

90

Traffic Noise

80

Loud

Vacuum Cleaner

70

Intrusive

Classroom Activities

60

Comfortable

Conversation

50

Whisper

30

Very Quiet

Breathing

20

Barely Audible

In sound measurement, the 'A' standard is a filter used to approximate human hearing; the 'C' standard is commonly used to measure low frequency sound that can be felt.

World Health Organization

In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO), a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN), published a report titled, Guidelines for Community Noise that addressed noise pollution as having profound public health implications.